Artwork
The Tribute Money. Peter Finding the Silver Coin in the Mouth of the Fish. Also called "The Ferry Boat to Antwerp"
The Tribute Money. Peter Finding the Silver Coin in the Mouth of the Fish. Also called "The Ferry Boat to Antwerp" is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Jacob Jordaens. It dates from 1620 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Peter Finding the Silver Coin in the Mouth of the Fish, also known as The Ferry Boat to Antwerp, is an oil painting by Jacob Jordaens.
The Tribute Money. Peter Finding the Silver Coin in the Mouth of the Fish, also known as The Ferry Boat to Antwerp, is an oil painting by Jacob Jordaens. It was painted around 1620 and now lives in the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen.
The work shows the biblical episode where Jesus tells Peter to catch a fish and retrieve a silver coin for the temple tax. A 17th‑century historian called Joachim von Sandrart saw the scene as a genre view of a ferry leaving Antwerp.
You might also explore the subject Saint Peter.
Overview
Jacob Jordaens, a Flemish painter, created *The Tribute Money. Peter Finding the Silver Coin in the Mouth of the Fish* in oil around 1620. This painting, now housed at the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen, presents a biblical narrative. Intriguingly, it was also known in the 17th century by the descriptive title *The Ferry Boat to Antwerp*, reflecting an alternative interpretation of its bustling composition.
Subject & Meaning
The painting illustrates an episode from the Gospel of Matthew. It shows Jesus instructing the apostle Peter to retrieve a silver coin from the mouth of a fish to pay the temple tax. This miraculous event underscores divine provision and Peter's role among the disciples, presenting a moment of both practical necessity and spiritual significance within the biblical narrative.
History & Provenance
In the 17th century, the German art historian and painter Joachim von Sandrart offered a different perspective on Jordaens' work. He referred to it as *The Ferry Boat to Antwerp*, viewing the scene not as a biblical miracle but as a contemporary genre depiction. Sandrart interpreted the lively gathering as passengers embarking from a jetty onto a ferry bound for Antwerp, highlighting how the same composition could be understood in distinct ways.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Jacques (Jacob) Jordaens (19 May 1593 – 18 October 1678) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and a designer of tapestries and prints.
